JP2005058475A - Spherical body send-out device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spherical body put-out device in which the number of put-outs per unit time is large, a spherical body put-out device with durability and a spherical body put-out device capable of putting out a prescribed number of spherical bodies at a high speed. <P>SOLUTION: A spherical body send-out device is provided with: a cylindrical head for holding a plurality of spherical bodies in the state of being piled up in bulk; a rotary disk positioned below the head and provided with a plurality of through-holes through each of which one spherical body can move from an upper surface side to a lower surface side; a base positioned below the rotary disk and guiding the spherical body held in the through-hole; and an exit arranged adjacently to the rotary disk. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a sphere delivery device for a slot machine using a sphere.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a sphere delivery device for delivering spheres stacked one by one at a high speed.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a sphere delivery device for delivering a predetermined number of spheres one by one when winning.
A typical example of a sphere is a pachinko ball.

As a first prior art, a sphere entrance cylinder that is suspended, a sphere passage sensor disposed at the exit of the sphere entrance cylinder, a rotation gear having a sphere receiving hole, and a sphere fall prevention disposed below the rotation gear There is known a sphere counter including a sphere count sensor disposed below the body and the rotating gear (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
As a second conventional technique, a coin storage hopper that holds coins in a piled state, a disk with holes that is positioned below the coin storage hopper and rotates, and a plurality of holes formed in the disk with holes In addition, there are known a guide pin and a discharge plate located below the rotation trajectory of the hole, and a coin dispensing device that detects a coin that moves while being guided by the discharge plate (see, for example, Patent Document 2). .

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-360770 (FIGS. 5-7 and 5-6) JP-B 55-48634 (Figures 1-5, pages 2-4)

In the first prior art, the spheres vertically aligned in a row in the sphere inlet cylinder are dropped into a sphere receiving hole in which one sphere can be located by gravity.
This fall is detected by a sphere passage sensor, and the rotating gear is rotated by a predetermined angle.
By this rotation, the sphere receiving hole rotates by a predetermined angle and is positioned on the sphere guide tube.
The sphere in the sphere housing hole falls on the sphere guide tube and is paid out as a winning ball.
In addition, the sphere dropped on the sphere guide tube is counted by the count sensor.
This prior art has a problem that the number of payouts per unit time depends on the gravity because the spheres are aligned in a line in the sphere inlet tube and use the drop due to gravity.
In other words, there is a limit to the number of balls that can be dispensed per unit time.

In the second prior art, coins in a stacked state fall into the hole of the holed disk, and rotate with the holed disk while being supported by the bottom member.
During the rotation, the coins are prevented from moving by the guide pins, and are further guided by the discharge plate to be paid out one by one.
Coins are detected and counted by the switch while being guided by the discharge plate.
In this prior art, since the coin collides with the guide pin and the discharge plate and is guided to the outlet, the guide pin and the discharge plate are not durable.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a spherical payout device having a large number of payouts per unit time.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a ball dispensing device having durability.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a sphere dispensing device that can dispense a predetermined number of spheres at high speed.

In order to achieve this object, the ball dispensing apparatus according to the present invention is configured as follows.
A cylindrical head that holds a plurality of spheres in a stacked state, a rotating disk that is positioned below the head and that has a plurality of through holes that allow one sphere to move from the upper surface side to the lower surface side, It is a sphere feeding device having a base that is positioned below and guides a sphere held in the through hole, and an outlet that is disposed adjacent to the rotating disk.

In this configuration, a large number of spheres are held on the head above the rotating disk in a stacked state.
Since the plurality of through holes of the rotating disk are located in the lower opening of the head, the sphere in the head falls into the through hole, is supported by the base, and is retained in the through hole.
When the through-hole moves due to the rotation of the rotating disk and faces the outlet, the sphere moves to the outlet by its free fall or centrifugal force and is dispensed.

In other words, the sphere is retained in the through hole by free fall, but since the plurality of through holes are opposed to the head, a plurality of spheres can be simultaneously dropped into the through hole.
For this reason, since the payout of the sphere is not substantially limited by gravity, there is an advantage that the number of payout of the sphere per unit time can be increased.
In addition, the payout of the sphere held in the through hole uses free fall or centrifugal force.
In other words, since the sphere does not collide with the stopper or the like, there is an advantage that the durability of the apparatus can be improved.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a braking disk interlocked with the rotating disk is provided and a braking force is applied to the braking disk by a braking device.
In this configuration, the rotating disk is stopped by braking against the brake disk.
Since the brake disk can be formed individually with respect to the rotating disk, the brake disk can have a shape suitable for rapid stop.
Therefore, since the rotating disk stops instantaneously, it can be stopped rapidly after a predetermined number of spheres are paid out at high speed.
As a result, there is an effect that a predetermined number of spheres can be paid out at high speed (the number of payouts per unit time is large).

In the present invention, it is preferable that the brake disk is disposed on a peripheral edge of the rotating disk.
In this configuration, since the rotating disk and the brake disk are integrated, there is an advantage that a transmission mechanism is not required, the size can be reduced, and the apparatus can be manufactured at low cost.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the brake disk has a plurality of stop claws on a peripheral surface, and the brake device is a stop body that engages with the stop claws.
In this configuration, since the stopping body engages with the stopping claw of the braking disk and stops the rotating disk, the rotating disk does not overrun.
Therefore, even when the sphere is paid out at a high speed, the rotating disk can be stopped instantaneously, so that over-dispensing of the sphere after the predetermined number of spheres are paid out can be prevented.

In this invention, when the said stop body engages with the said stop claw, it is preferable that they surface-contact.
In this configuration, when the restraining body collides with the restraining claw, they come into surface contact, so the impact force per unit area is reduced.
Therefore, there is an advantage that breakage of the restraining claw or the restraining body can be prevented.

In the present invention, the through hole is preferably a long hole.
In this configuration, since the through hole is a long hole, when the rotating disk rotates at a high speed, the sphere that has dropped from the front edge of the rotation can sufficiently fall until it reaches the rear edge.
Therefore, the fallen sphere can be reliably retained in the through hole and continuously paid out.

In the present invention, it is preferable that an extruded body that rotates integrally with the rotating disk is disposed below the rotating disk so as to individually correspond to the through holes, and the spherical body is extruded to the outlet by the extruded body.
In this configuration, since the spherical body is pushed by the extruded body and reaches the outlet, there is an advantage that the payout is surely performed.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the extruded body is disposed on a driven disk disposed obliquely with respect to the rotating disk, and an upper portion of the extruded body is inserted into a receiving hole formed in the rotating disk.
In this configuration, since the driven disk is rotated by the rotating disk via the extruded body inserted into the receiving hole of the rotating disk, there is an advantage that the drive mechanism is simple and inexpensive.

In the present invention, a spherical drop long hole is formed in the base of the rotation path of the through hole upstream with respect to the outlet, and the outlet is pushed and pressed by the extruding body into a passage continuing to the drop long hole. It is preferable to provide a bulging portion that guides the
In this configuration, the sphere falls from the drop slot into a channel located below.
In this passage, the sphere is rotated while being pressed from the inner side toward the outer side by the extruding body, the outer surface being closer to the center of rotation than the diameter, and reaching the outlet.
Thereby, the sphere moves to the outlet by the centrifugal force and the pushing force of the extruded body.
Therefore, since the sphere collides with the regulation pin or the like and is not paid out, there is an advantage that the durability of the apparatus is improved.

In the present invention, the outlet is preferably formed in a base below the through hole.
In this configuration, when a sphere that is retained in the through hole and moves with the rotation of the rotating disk faces the outlet, it freely falls to the outlet.
For this reason, there is an advantage that the durability of the apparatus is improved because there is no part that forcibly changes the moving direction because the sphere collides.

In this invention, it is preferable that the said exit is formed facing the said rotary disc periphery.
In this configuration, the sphere retained in the through hole rotates together with the rotating disk and jumps out in the circumferential direction by centrifugal force when facing the outlet.
In other words, the sphere moves to the outlet by centrifugal force and is paid out.
For this reason, there is an advantage that the durability of the apparatus is improved because there is no part forcibly changing the moving direction because the sphere collides.

In this invention, it is preferable to provide the discharge | emission auxiliary | assistance means which pushes a spherical body to the said exit facing the said exit.
In this configuration, when a sphere retained in the through hole and moving with the rotation of the rotary disk faces the outlet, it engages with the payout assisting means and is pushed to the outlet.
For this reason, the sphere has the advantage of being reliably paid out to the outlet.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the payout assisting means is a guide inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the sphere.
In this configuration, when a sphere retained in the through hole and moving with the rotation of the rotary disk faces the outlet, the sphere is engaged with the guide inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the sphere and pushed to the outlet.
Since the guide is inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the sphere, the impact force when the sphere collides is small.
As a result, there is an effect that the durability of the device is high.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the discharge assisting means is an extrusion protrusion formed on the lower surface of the rotating disk.
In this configuration, when a sphere that is pushed by the pushing protrusion and moves along with the rotation of the rotary disk faces the outlet, it is pushed out by the pushing protrusion to the outlet.
As a result, in the device for paying out the sphere, there is no part that collides with the sphere, so there is an advantage that the durability of the device is high.

  A sphere feeding device according to the present invention includes a cylindrical head that holds a plurality of spheres in a stacked state, a through hole that is positioned below the head, and one sphere can move from the upper surface side to the lower surface side. A plurality of rotating disks, a base positioned below the rotating disk and guiding a sphere retained in the through hole, and an outlet disposed adjacent to the rotating disk are provided.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view in which the spherical body feeding device of Example 1 is mounted on a pachinko machine.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the spherical body feeding device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the spherical body feeding device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the spherical body feeding device according to the first embodiment.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a plan view with the base of the spherical body delivery device of the first embodiment removed.
FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the spherical body feeding device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a plan view of a modified embodiment of the rotating disk and the feeding device according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a side view of a modified embodiment of the rotating disk and the feeding device according to the first embodiment.

In FIG. 1, a retaining plate 104 of a sphere PB is attached to the upper back of a frame 102 of a game machine (pachinko machine) 100.
The storage tray 104 is substantially rectangular, and a cylindrical head 108 constituting a part of the spherical body feeding device 106 is integrally formed of resin at the right end.
This resin is preferably grounded by using a conductive resin in order to prevent electrostatic charge.
The bottom 110 of the storage tray 104 is inclined toward the head 108.
Therefore, the sphere PB held on the holding tray 104 naturally rolls toward the head 108.

The head 108 has a function of holding the sphere PB in a stacked state.
The head 108 is a cylindrical body having a circular cross section.
A vertically long slit 112 that is slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere PB is formed in a part of the head 108 facing the storage tray 104.
The sphere PB in the storage tray 104 passes through the slit 112 and rolls into the head 108.

Next, the sphere delivery device 106 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the sphere delivery device 106 includes the head 108, the rotating disk 114, the braking device 116, the base 118, and the outlet 120 disposed adjacent to the rotating disk 114.
The sphere sending device 106 has a function of sending a predetermined number of spheres PB instructed by the controller of the game machine to the next process during a predetermined time.

Next, the rotating disk 114 will be described.
The rotating disk 114 has a function of sending the spheres PB received from the head 108 to the outlet 120 one by one.
The rotating disk 114 is composed of an upper conical disk 122 and a lower driven gear 124.

The conical disc 122 has an upper surface 127 formed in a conical shape with the rotation axis 128 as the apex, and a plurality of first through holes 130 formed at equal intervals on a circle centering on the rotation axis 128 at the periphery. Has been.
A second through hole 134 is also formed in the driven gear 124 so as to face the first through hole 130.
The driven gear 124 is rotatably attached via a bearing 138 to a shaft 136 fixed so that an axis 128 is orthogonal to the base 118.

The conical disk 122 is concentrically fixed to the driven gear 124 by a screw 140 and integrated.
Therefore, the first through hole 130 and the second through hole 134 constitute an elliptical through hole 126 that overlaps in the vertical direction and extends in the vertical direction.
The height of the through hole 126 is slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere PB, and the sphere that has dropped into the through hole 126 has a thickness that does not protrude from the upper surface 127.
In other words, the thickness of the rotating disk 114 is thicker than the diameter of the sphere PB and is arranged substantially horizontally.

With this configuration, the sphere PB is prevented from being pushed out of the through hole 126.
On the upper surface 127 of the conical disk 122, ribs 141 are formed radially at equal intervals from the rotation axis 128 to stir the sphere PB in the head 108 and guide the sphere PB rolling down along the upper surface 127. 126 is smoothly dropped.
The upper surface 127 of the rotating disk 114 can be changed to a plane, and the thickness of the rotating disk 114 can be set to 2 to 3 times the diameter of the sphere PB.
This is because a plurality of spheres PB can be retained in the through-hole 126 so that the sphere PB is always retained in the through-hole 126.

In the case of this flat rotating disk, the sphere PB on the upper surface 127 receives a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the rotating disk 114 and moves to the peripheral edge of the rotating disk 114, so that it can drop into the through hole 126.
The conical disk 122 and the driven gear 124 are preferably made of resin.
This is because it can be manufactured at low cost by integrally molding a complicated shape.
In this case, it is suitable that the conical disk 122 is made of nylon resin having excellent durability, and the driven gear 124 is made of resin having excellent mechanical strength.
However, the conical disk 122 and the driven gear 124 can be integrally formed of resin or the like.
In this case, the manufacturing process is shortened, and a complicated shape can be manufactured accurately and inexpensively.

The width of the through hole 126 (in the radial direction of the rotating disk 114 in FIG. 3) is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere PB.
In addition, the length of the through hole 126 (circumferential direction of the rotating disk 114) is formed as a long hole in a range not more than twice the sphere diameter.
By making such a long hole, even if the rotary disk 114 rotates at a high speed, it can be reliably dropped by extending the time during which it can fall into the through hole 126 of the sphere PB.
By setting the length to 2 times or less, a plurality of spheres PB may overlap in the through-hole 126, but they do not face the outlet 120 at the same time.

The peripheral portion of the rotating disk 114 constitutes a braking disk 124 of the braking device 116.
More specifically, the peripheral edge of the conical disk 122 has a sawtooth shape, and a stop pawl 142 is formed.
As shown in FIG. 7, the stop pawl 142 positioned at the front edge of the braking disk 124 in the rotation direction is positioned on a straight line L passing through the rotation center of the rotating disk 114.
The number of stop pawls 142 is twice that of the through holes 126 and has a predetermined positional relationship.

That is, the stop pawl 142 is disposed between the adjacent through holes 126 and on the side of the through holes 126.
This is because when the rotating disk 114 is braked by the braking device 116, the extra ball PB is not paid out.
Therefore, the number of the stop pawls 142 and the through holes 126 may be the same, or may be three times or more the number of the stop pawls 142 if the extra spherical body PB is not paid out.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating disk 114 is located immediately below the head 108, and almost the entire upper surface 127 thereof is opposed to the lower end opening 144 of the head 108.
More specifically, the plurality of through holes 126 are opposed to the lower end opening 144 of the head 108.
Therefore, the sphere PB in the head 108 can fall into the plurality of through holes 126 at the same time.

The lower surface of the rotating disk 114, and hence the driven gear 124, is located close to a base 118 made of a metal plate via a spacer (not shown).
When the base 118 is made of a metal such as stainless steel, wear due to the metal sphere PB can be prevented, but the base 118 can be made of another material having wear resistance.
As shown in FIG. 4, the base 118 is formed with a C-shaped hole 146 around the rotation axis 128.
The width of the drop elongated hole 148 in the vicinity of the outlet 120 of the C-shaped hole 146 is slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere PB so that the sphere PB can be dropped.

Next, the delivery device 150 will be described.
A delivery device 150 is disposed below the base 118 below the rotary disk 114.
As shown in FIG. 4, the delivery device 150 has the same shape as the base 118, and is disposed in a circular hole 154 of the guide base 152 that is formed thick.
As shown in FIG. 5, in the center of the circular hole 154, a ring-shaped driven disk 160 is rotatably attached to a bearing 156 extending upward via a bearing 158.

In other words, the ring-shaped driven disk 160 rotates in a plane having an angle with respect to the rotating disk 114.
Specifically, the driven disk 160 is set so as to be farthest from the rotating disk 114 in the vicinity of the outlet 120 and closest to the rotating disk 114 on the opposite side of the outlet 120.

A plurality of cylindrical extruded bodies 162 projecting upward are arranged on the driven disk 160 at a predetermined interval.
The extruded body 162 can be formed and fixed separately from the driven disk 160, or can be formed integrally with the driven disk 160.

The number of the extruded bodies 162 is the same as the number of the through holes 126, and in the vicinity that is closest to the rotating disk 114, the distal end of the extruded body 162 passes through the C-shaped hole 146 and is a receiving hole (see FIG. (Not shown).
In the vicinity of the outlet 120, the upper end of the extruded body 162 is located below the base 118.

The circular hole 154 is surrounded by a guide wall 164. In the drop slot 148, the guide wall 164 has a bulging portion 166 protruding outward.
When the spherical body PB is guided by the guide wall 164 of the bulging portion 166, the extruded body 162 pushes the spherical surface farther than the maximum diameter portion of the spherical body PB, so that the spherical body PB is rotated while being pushed outward. .
As a result, the sphere PB is pushed out to the outlet passage 170 at the opened outlet 120, and is discharged from the outlet 168.

Next, modified embodiments of the rotating disk 114 and the delivery device 150 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The rotating disk 114 is arranged substantially horizontally.
A recess 270 is formed in the rear surface of the through hole 126 so that the head of the extruded body 162 enters and exits the recess 270.

As shown in FIG. 10, since the rotation axis of the driven disk 160 is inclined with respect to the rotating disk 114, the head of the extruded body 162 protrudes above the rotating disk 114 on the side opposite to the outlet 120, and the rotating disk 114. Stir the top sphere PB.
In the vicinity of the outlet 120, the extruded body 162 is located below the rotating disk 114.

In this structure, the sphere PB that has fallen into the through hole 126 is supported by the driven disk 160 on the lower surface and guided to the wall surface of the through hole 126 when the side surface is in the through hole 126, and below the rotating disk 114. When it is positioned at, it is pushed by the extruded body 162 while being guided by the guide wall 164 and rotates together with the rotating disk 114.
And since it is not guided by the guide wall 164 in the exit 120, it rolls out from the exit 120 with a centrifugal force.

  In this case, it is necessary to install a cover or the like of the through hole 126 of the rotating disk 114 above so that another sphere PB does not fall on the sphere PB guided by the driven disk 160, the extruded body 162, and the guide wall 164. .

Next, the driving device 172 for the rotating disk 114 will be described.
The driving device 172 has a function of rotating the rotating disk 114 at a predetermined speed.
Therefore, the driving device 172 can be changed to another device having a similar function.
The driven gear 124 meshes with a drive gear 178 that is rotatably supported by a shaft 176 that is fixed substantially perpendicularly to a gear hole 174 disposed adjacent to the circular hole 154.

The drive gear 178 meshes with a gear (not shown) fixed to an output shaft (not shown) of an electric motor 182 fixed to the upper surface of the guide base 152 via a integrally formed driven gear 180. .
With this configuration, the rotating disk 114 is rotated at a predetermined speed by the electric motor 182.

The outlet passage 170 has a rectangular groove shape and extends in a radial direction with respect to the circular hole 154 as shown in FIG.
The bottom surface 184 of the outlet passage 170 is inclined downward sequentially from the outlet 120 toward the payout opening 168 so that the sphere PB rolls toward the payout opening 168 by gravity.

The guide base 152 can be manufactured at low cost by being integrally formed of resin.
Furthermore, the trouble by charge of resin can be prevented by using conductive resin and grounding.
The driven disk 160 can be rotated in synchronization with the rotating disk 114 or can be rotated from the rotating disk 114 via a bevel gear by a separate driving means.

Next, the braking device 116 will be described.
The braking device 116 has a function of rapidly stopping the rotating disk 114 after a predetermined number of spheres PB are paid out so that the extra spheres PB are not paid out.
Therefore, the braking device 116 can be changed to another device having a similar function.

As shown in FIG. 7, one end of a rod-like restraining body 186 is rotatably attached to a shaft 184 fixed in the vicinity of the rotating disk 114.
The front end 188 of the restraining body 186 is set such that when the restraining claw 142 is engaged, they come into surface contact.
More specifically, the tip 188 and the stop pawl 142 are formed in opposing shapes.

That is, both the tip 188 and the stop pawl 142 are flat surfaces, or the tip 188 is a convex arc surface centered on the shaft 184, and the stop pawl 142 is formed on a concave arc surface having the same curvature.
When the stop pawls 142 are locked by the tip 188, they collide impactively.
When this impact is large, the stop pawl 142 formed of resin may be fatigued.
However, when the stop pawl 142 and the tip 188 are in surface contact, the impact force per unit area can be minimized and damage can be prevented.

In addition, when the front-end | tip 188 is formed in a convex arc surface, since it does not catch on the stop claw 142 when canceling | stopping the stop by the stop body 186, cancellation | release is easy.
Further, in order to alleviate the impact at the time of collision, a shock absorber such as urethane rubber is attached to at least one of the restraining pawl 142 or the tip 188, or an elastic body made of rubber between the shaft 184 and the restraining body 186. A ring may be interposed.

Next, the moving device 190 of the braking device 116 will be described.
The moving device 190 has a function of selectively positioning the restraining body 186 at a position where it can come into contact with the restraining claw 142 and a position where it does not come into contact.
Therefore, the moving device 190 can be changed to another device having a similar function.
A long hole 192 is formed in the middle of the restraining body 186, and a pin 198 fixed to the distal end portion of the plunger 196 of the electromagnetic actuator 194 is slidably positioned therein.

The plunger 196 is always urged in the protruding direction by the spring 200.
In other words, when the electromagnetic actuator 194 is demagnetized, the stop 186 is engaged with the stop pawl 142.
When the electromagnetic actuator 194 is excited, the restraining body 186 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 7 and is held at a position where the tip 188 is not engaged with the restraining claw 142.

Next, the detecting device 202 for the sphere PB will be described.
The detection device 202 has a function of detecting a sphere PB that passes through the outlet 120.
Therefore, it can be changed to another device having the same function.
The detection device 202 is a mechanical sensor, and includes a passive body 204 that protrudes into the circular hole 154 by about a radius at the outlet 120, a lever 206 to which the passive body 204 is attached and a proximity sensor 208 as shown in FIG. Yes.

The passive member 204 is preferably a roller in consideration of durability.
The lever 206 is located on the back side of the guide base 152, is rotatable about the shaft 210, and is urged clockwise in FIG.
In other words, the passive body 204 is biased to move into the circular hole 154.
However, the passive body 204 is locked to the end of the penetrating arc hole 214 and locked at the predetermined position.

The other end of the lever 206 is disposed so as to move to the detection region of the sensor 208 when it is rotated counterclockwise from the position of FIG.
In other words, when the passive body 204 is moved outside the circular hole 154, the sensor 208 outputs a detection signal.
This detection signal is used to count the paid out sphere PB.
The sensor 208 is preferably a proximity sensor that is not affected by dust, but other sensors such as a photoelectric sensor can be used.

As shown in FIG. 3, a fan-shaped baffle plate 216 is disposed above the outlet 120 in the head 108 and in the vicinity of the upper surface 127 of the rotating disk 114, and a spherical body is formed in the through hole 126 positioned below the fan-shaped baffle plate 216. PB is prevented from falling.
This is because the sphere PB pushed out from the outlet 120 can move smoothly without being obstructed by other spheres PB.
The upper surface of the baffle plate 216 is inclined so that the sphere PB placed thereon rolls down on the rotating disk 114.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.
The sphere PB is supplied to the holding tray 104 by an automatic distribution device (not shown).
The sphere PB in the storage tray 104 rolls toward the head 108 due to the inclination of the bottom 110, passes through the slits 112 one by one, and reaches the head 108.

The sphere PB that has flowed into the head 108 is held in a circular shape in the shape of the head 108 in a stacked state.
When the electric motor 182 rotates based on the payout instruction, the sphere PB falls into the through hole 126.

As shown in FIG. 3, since the lower end opening 144 of the head 108 is opposed to the plurality of through holes 126, the sphere PB can fall into the plurality of through holes 126 at the same time, even though it falls due to gravity.
For this reason, even if the rotating disk 114 rotates at a high speed, the spherical body PB is always held in the through hole 126, so that it can be dispensed without missing a tooth.
Therefore, the number of payouts of the sphere PB is not substantially affected by gravity.

As the rotating disk 114 rotates, the rib 141 moves together to push up the sphere PB.
As a result, the sphere PB is agitated and the efficiency of dropping into the through hole 126 is increased.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the sphere PB is not held in the through hole 126, so that the number of payouts per unit time can be increased.

Further, the driven disk 160 is rotated in the same direction as the rotating disk 114 through the extruded body 162 whose tip end portion is inserted into the receiving hole on the lower surface of the rotating disk 114.
The sphere PB that is pushed and moved by the wall surface of the through-hole 126 by the rotation of the rotating disk 114 falls by gravity in the dropping long hole 148 of the C-shaped hole 146, and the driven disk 160 and the bulging portion 166 of the circular hole 154 The guide wall 164 is guided to rotate together with the driven disk 160.

At this time, since the sphere PB is moving at a high speed, the amount of fall may be small due to its inertia.
Even in such a case, the sphere PB has a sufficiently long drop hole 148 so that it is surely dropped on the driven disk 160.
Thereby, the sphere PB moves to the delivery device 150 with certainty.

Since the sphere PB dropped into the circular hole 154 is pushed by the extruded body 162 as shown in FIG. 7, the lower surface thereof is supported by the driven disk 160 and the side surface thereof is guided by the guide wall of the bulging portion 166. It is moved towards the outlet 120.
When the sphere PB is positioned at the outlet 120, it is paid out from the outlet 168 through the outlet passage 170 due to the inclination of the driven disk 160 and the centrifugal force.

In this process, the spherical body PB pushes the passive body 204 to the outside of the circular hole 154, so that one end of the lever 206 comes close to the sensor 208, and the sensor 208 outputs a count signal.
After the sphere PB has passed, the passive body 204, and thus the lever 206, is returned to its original position by the spring 212 to prepare for the next payout.

  When the signal from the sensor 208 reaches a predetermined number, in other words, when a predetermined number of spheres PB are paid out, the electromagnetic actuator 194 is demagnetized and the restraining body 186 is rotated clockwise in FIG. Then, it enters the rotation path of the stop pawl 142.

As a result, the tip 188 of the restraining body 186 moves to the rotation path of the restraining pawl 142, collides with the restraining pawl 142 on the surface, and stops the rotation of the rotary disk 114.
Therefore, since the rotating disk 114 is stopped at the phase where the stopping body 186 collides with the stopping pawl 142, no overrun occurs.
That is, the sphere PB is not overpaid.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view in which the spherical body feeding device of Embodiment 2 is mounted on a pachinko machine.
FIG. 12 is a plan view of the spherical body feeding device according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a left side view of the spherical body feeding device according to the second embodiment.
14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG.

The same functional parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and different configurations will be described.
The cylindrical head 220 has a semicircular cross section.
As shown in FIG. 12, the rotating disk 222 is positioned immediately below the head 220, and about half of the rotating disk 222 is opposed to the lower end opening 224 of the head 220.

The rotating disk 222 has a flat plate shape, and a plurality of through holes 126 are formed at equal intervals.
The shape and the like of the through hole 126 are the same as in the first embodiment.
The rotating disk 222 can reduce the weight of the sphere PB applied to the rotating disk 222 by inclining the rotation axis thereof.
In addition, the thickness of the rotating disk 222 is preferably such that two or more spheres PB are retained.
This is because the sphere PB is always held in the through hole 126 and continuously paid out.

Next, the driving device 228 for the rotating disk 222 will be described.
A driven gear 132 is formed on the lower peripheral surface of the brake disc 124 of the rotary disc 222 and meshes with the drive gear 178.
The drive gear 178 is fixed to the output shaft 240 of the electric motor 182 fixed to the lower surface of the base 236.
With this configuration, the rotating disk 222 is rotated at a predetermined rotational speed by the electric motor 182.

Next, the base 236 will be described.
A flat base 236 is disposed immediately below the rotating disk 222.
The base 236 has a function of supporting the sphere PB that has fallen into the through hole 126 of the rotating disk 222 from below and allowing the sphere PB to rotate integrally with the rotating disk 222.
Therefore, the base 236 can be changed to another device having a similar function.

An outlet 240 is formed below the through hole 126 at a predetermined position of the base 236.
An outlet passage 244 is formed continuously from the outlet 240 to the outlet 168 on the side surface of the base 236.

The outlet passage 244 has a rectangular groove shape, and is formed in an arc shape extending in the tangential direction with respect to the through hole 126 and then toward the left side as shown in FIG.
The bottom surface 246 of the outlet passage 244 is sequentially inclined from the outlet 240 toward the outlet 168 so that the sphere PB naturally rolls toward the outlet 168 due to gravity.

The base 236 is preferably integrally molded with a conductive resin including the outlet 240, the outlet passage 244, etc., and grounded.
By using the base 236 as a conductive resin, static electricity generated by contact with the sphere PB can be leaked and problems caused by charging can be prevented.

When the base 236 is molded from resin, the ring-shaped rail 248 made of metal or the like having wear resistance relative to the rotation path of the through hole 126 is used as a base in order to prevent uneven contact of the contact portion with the sphere PB. It is preferable to embed in the upper surface of 236.
With this configuration, the sphere PB that rotates together with the rotating disk 222 while being held in the through hole 126 rolls on the rail 248, so that the base 236 is not worn.

Next, the payout assisting means 250 will be described.
It is preferable to provide the discharge assisting means 250 so that the sphere PB rotating at a high speed together with the rotating disk 222 moves (falls) to the outlet 240 reliably.
The payout assisting means 250 has a function of moving the sphere PB to the outlet 240 using the movement of the sphere PB.

Accordingly, the payout assisting unit 250 can be changed to another device having the same function.
As shown in FIG. 14, the guide 252 located in the rotation path of the through hole 126 and farther from the upper surface of the base 236 than the radius of the sphere PB is the discharge assisting means 250.
The guide 252 has an arc shape concentric with the rotary disk 222 and has a guide surface 254 inclined downward.

The guide surface 254 includes a first guide surface 256 having a large inclination angle with respect to the horizontal line and a second guide surface 258 having a small inclination angle.
According to this structure, the sphere PB that does not sufficiently fall to the outlet 240 due to inertial force first contacts the first guide surface 256 having a large inclination angle and is guided downward, and then the second guide surface 258 having a gentle inclination angle. To the exit passage 244.
That is, the sphere PB is forcibly moved to the outlet 240 by the guide surface 254 and moves in the outlet passage 244.

Next, the stirring device 262 will be described.
The stirring device 262 has a function of stirring the sphere PB on the rotating disk 222.
Therefore, the stirring device 262 can be changed to another device having a similar function.
A plurality of through holes 264 are formed at equal intervals concentrically with the rotational axis of the rotating disk 222.

A round bar-like stirring body 266 is slidably inserted into the through hole 264.
Specifically, the stirring member 266 is positioned in the through hole 264 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.
Since the lower end of the stirring body 266 is fixed to an inclined disk (having a predetermined angle with respect to the rotating disk 222) that can rotate in synchronization with the rotating disk 222 (not shown), the stirring body 266 is a rotating disk. Rotate in the same direction as 222 rotates.

Further, because of the inclined disk, the tip of the stirring body 266 located at the top of the inclination protrudes a predetermined amount above the through hole 264.
By this protrusion, the sphere PB mounted on the rotating disk 222 is pushed up and stirred, thereby facilitating the drop of the sphere PB into the through hole 126.
Furthermore, the tip of the stirring member 266 located at the bottom of the slope is retracted into the through hole 264.

Next, the detection device 270 for the sphere PB will be described.
The detection device 270 is a proximity sensor system that detects the approach of metal, and is fixed to the base 236 adjacent to the payout opening 168.
The detection device 270 has a function of detecting a sphere PB that passes through the payout opening 168.
Therefore, it can be changed to another device having the same function.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.
A predetermined number of spheres PB are supplied to the holding tray 104 by an automatic distribution device (not shown).
The sphere PB in the storage tray 104 moves toward the head 220 due to the inclination of the bottom 110, passes through the slits 112 one by one, and moves to the head 220.

The sphere PB flowing into the head 220 is retained in a semi-circular shape of the shape of the head 220 in a stacked state.
When the electric motor 182 rotates based on the payout instruction, the sphere PB falls into the through hole 126.
As shown in FIG. 12, since the lower end opening 224 of the head 220 is opposed to the plurality of through holes 126, the sphere PB can be dropped into the plurality of through holes 126 at the same time even though it is dropped by gravity. There are no restrictions on the number of payouts.

The stirring bar 266 is rotated by the rotation of the rotating disk 222, and a part of the stirring bar 266 protrudes above the upper surface of the rotating disk 222 to push up the sphere PB.
As a result, the sphere PB is agitated and the efficiency of dropping into the through hole 126 is increased.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the sphere PB is not held in the through hole 126, so that the number of payouts per unit time can be increased.

The sphere PB moved by the rotation of the rotating disk 222 falls by gravity at the outlet 240.
However, since the sphere PB moves at a high speed, the amount of fall may be small due to its inertia.
Even in that case, the sphere PB is guided by the guide 252 and moved downward.

Thereby, the sphere PB is reliably moved to the outlet 240.
The sphere PB falling to the outlet 240 is paid out from the payout outlet 168 through the outlet passage 244 by the inclination of the bottom surface 246 and the inertial force.
The sphere PB paid out from the payout port 168 is detected by the detector 270 and used for counting, for example.
The rotation disk 222 is stopped in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the spherical body feeding device according to the third embodiment.
16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG.

Next, Embodiment 3 shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 will be described.
The same parts as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different configurations will be described.
In the third embodiment, the outlet 320 is positioned relative to the peripheral edge 302 of the rotating disk 300.
On the lower surface 304 of the rotating disk 300, extrusion ridges 308 are formed radially following the through holes 306.
This extrusion ridge 308 is the payout assisting means 250.

The through hole 306 has a circular shape having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere PB.
Further, the thickness of the rotating disk 300 is 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the sphere PB, and two spheres PB do not protrude from the upper surface of the rotating disk 300 as shown in FIG. It is set to be.
Therefore, a holding space 314 for the spherical body PB is formed below the lower surface 304 between the through hole 306 of the rotating disk 300 and the extrusion protrusion 308.

The rotating disk 300 below the brake disk 124 is inserted into a bottomed circular hole 312 formed in the base 310.
The distance between the bottom surface 316 and the bottom surface 304 of the circular hole 312 is slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere PB.

The spherical body PB in the through hole 306 is pushed by the extrusion protrusion 308, the lower surface is supported by the bottom surface 316 (base 310), and the side surface is guided by the inner surface 318 of the circular hole 312 and rotates together with the rotating disk 300.
An outlet 320 slightly larger than the diameter of the sphere PB is formed at a predetermined position on the inner surface 318.

The sphere PB that rotates together with the rotating disk 300 jumps out from the outlet 320 to the outlet passage 322 by the centrifugal force at the outlet 320 and is discharged from the outlet 324.
The sphere PB is detected by the detection device 270.
The rotation disk 300 is stopped in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described.
The sphere PB in the head 108 is stirred by the rotation of the rotary disk 300 and falls into the through hole 306.
The sphere PB that has fallen into the through-hole 306 is supported by the bottom surface 316 and is pushed by the pushing protrusion 308 to rotate together with the rotating disk 300.

At this time, the sphere PB is shifted from the through-hole 306 by approximately the radius of the sphere, is positioned in the holding space 314, and is guided to the inner surface 318 of the circular hole 312.
That is, the spherical PB moves while contacting the inner surface 318 by the centrifugal force acting on the spherical PB by rotation.

When another sphere PB falls on the sphere PB supported by the bottom surface 316, it is supported by the lower sphere PB and rotates together with the rotating disk 300 without contacting the bottom surface 316 as shown by a chain line in FIG. To do.
At this time, the top of the upper sphere PB is located slightly below the upper surface of the rotating disk 300.

When the sphere PB faces the outlet 320, the sphere PB jumps out to the outlet passage 320 by the above-described centrifugal force, and is discharged from the discharge outlet 324 through the detection device 270.
When the rotating disk 300 is stopped, it is stopped as in the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a rotating disk of the spherical body feeding device according to the fourth embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the rotating disk is suitable when the head 220 faces the entire upper surface of the rotating disk 222.
A conical protrusion 400 is formed at the center of the rotating disk 222, and a plurality of through holes 126 are arranged at equal intervals around it.
In addition, a separating protrusion 402 extending from the top to the bottom is formed on the peripheral surface of the protrusion 400.

The separating protrusion 402 is located between the adjacent through holes 126, and the cross section thereof can be appropriately adopted such as a triangle, a quadrangle, or a semicircle.
In the fourth embodiment, the braking disk is provided separately in conjunction with the rotating disk 222.
When the rotating disk 222 of Example 4 rotates, the sphere PB is agitated by the rotation of the protrusion 400.

In other words, the sphere PB in the head 220 is agitated by the separation protrusion 402.
Further, the spherical body PB moves downward while being pushed forward by the protrusion 402.
Therefore, the spherical body PB moves along the protrusion 402 and falls into the through hole 126, and efficiently falls into the through hole 126.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to a game machine payout device that uses a ball-shaped medium at a high speed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view in which the spherical body feeding device of Example 1 is mounted on a pachinko machine. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the spherical body feeding device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the spherical body feeding device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the spherical body feeding device according to the first embodiment. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view with the base of the spherical body delivery device of the first embodiment removed. FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the spherical body feeding device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a plan view of a modified embodiment of the rotating disk and the feeding device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a side view of a modified embodiment of the rotating disk and the feeding device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view in which the spherical body feeding device of Embodiment 2 is mounted on a pachinko machine. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the spherical body feeding device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a left side view of the spherical body feeding device according to the second embodiment. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. FIG. 15 is a plan view of the spherical body feeding device according to the third embodiment. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a rotating disk of the spherical body feeding device according to the fourth embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

PB sphere 108, 220 Head 126, 306 Through hole 114, 222, 300 Rotating disk 118, 236, 310 Base 120, 240, 320 Outlet 124 Brake disk 142 Stop claw 148 Drop slot 154 Guide wall 160 Driven disk 162 Extruder 166 Swelling portion 186 Stopping body 190 Braking device 250 Discharge assisting means 252 Guide 308 Extruding ridge

Claims (14)

  Cylindrical heads (108, 220) that hold a plurality of spheres (PB) in a stacked state, and are positioned below the head, and one sphere (PB) is movable from the upper surface side to the lower surface side. A rotating disk (114, 222, 300) having a plurality of holes (126, 306), a sphere positioned below the rotating disk (114, 222, 300) and held in the through hole (126, 306) A spherical delivery device having a base (118, 236, 310) for guiding (PB) and an outlet (120, 240, 320) disposed adjacent to the rotating disk (114, 222, 300).   The spherical body feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a braking disk (124) interlocking with the rotating disk (114, 222, 300) is provided, and a braking force is applied to the braking disk (124) by a braking device (190). 3. The spherical body feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the brake disk (124) is a peripheral edge of the rotating disk (114, 222, 300). The spherical body feed according to claim 2, wherein the brake disk (124) has a plurality of stop claws (142) on a peripheral surface, and the brake device (190) is a stop body (186) engaged with the stop claws (142). apparatus. The spherical body feeding device according to claim 4, wherein when the stop pawl (142) engages with the stop body (186), they come into surface contact.   The spherical body feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the through hole (126) is a long hole.   An extruded body (162) that rotates integrally with the rotating disk (114, 300) is disposed below the rotating disk (114, 222, 300) individually corresponding to the through hole (126), and the extruded body The sphere feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sphere (PB) is pushed out to the outlet (120) by (162).   The extruded body (162) is disposed on a driven disk (160) disposed obliquely with respect to the rotating disk (114), and the upper portion of the extruded body (162) is inserted into a receiving hole formed in the rotating disk (114). The spherical body delivery device according to claim 7.   A drop slot (148) of a sphere (PB) is formed in the base (118) near the outlet (120) upstream of the rotation path of the through hole (126), and is continuous with the drop slot (148). The spherical body feeding device according to claim 8, further comprising a bulging portion (166) that guides the outlet (120) while being pressed against the guide wall (154) by the pusher (162) in the passage.   The sphere delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet (240) is formed in a base (236) below the through hole (126).   The spherical body feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet (320) is formed so as to be opposed to a peripheral edge of the rotating disk (300).  The sphere delivery device according to claim 10, further comprising a discharge assisting means (250) for pushing the sphere (PB) toward the outlet (240) relative to the outlet (240). The sphere feeding device according to claim 12, wherein the payout assisting means (250) is a guide (252) inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the sphere (PB).   14. The spherical body feeding device according to claim 13, wherein the discharge assisting means (250) is an extrusion protrusion (308) formed on the lower surface of the rotating disk (114).

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